Media and marketing.

Delta Faucet campaign aims to polish image

If it's been difficult to discern the difference between plumbing fixtures, there's a reason for it.

Much of the advertising has been the same, showing pretty equipment doing a lot of the same things: spouting water, shutting off water or, in some cases, doing nothing with water at all.

In other words, that's a lot of money going down the drain to look and sound like everyone else.

Indianapolis-based Delta Faucet is aiming to break out of the pack with a big fall advertising push that tries to bring a human touch to something that has very personal uses.

In a sign that remodeling and home building are still propping up what little of the economy that shows signs of strength, Delta on Monday launched a $7 million advertising campaign to freshen its 2-year-old "Beautifully Engineered" campaign.

The work is the latest salvo fired in what has become one of the most competitive marketing battlegrounds, pitting Masco against Kohler and a handful of other players. The fight has intensified as the remodeling and new-housing markets have boomed over the past few years.

Much of the advertising has been geared toward women, who continue to play a major role in the decision-making process when it comes to remodeling and construction projects.

The move from what has been advertising focusing on the engineering aspects of the equipment to more of a fanciful lifestyle campaign is a timely change in direction, according to Delta executives.

"Two years ago, we did a whole new evolution of the Delta brand describing how our faucets are beautifully engineered," said Kristen Burkman, director of advertising and brand marketing.

"That laid a great foundation. Now we're evolving the platform of the functionality, showing how they will make your day-to-day tasks easier."

In one spot from Warren, Mich.-based agency Campbell-Ewald, a precocious little girl in a rain slicker is making an indoor rain shower with the company's "waterfall pull-out" kitchen faucet. Other everyday scenes--such as kids frolicking in a bathtub, or someone cleaning vegetables with another gadget--are also mainstays of the new campaign.

The $7 million expenditure marks the most Delta has spent in a single season. The campaign runs through December on NBC, ABC and CBS, as well as several cable outlets. A magazine campaign also is included in the mix.

Gingko sweetens IRI bid: Gingko Acquisition Corp., which has been trying to buy Chicago-based retail data provider Information Resources Inc., upped the terms of its offer to buy out the firm. Under the new terms, Gingko has promised shareholders a larger share of any proceeds won in a pending antitrust lawsuit filed against rival AC Nielsen.

Gingko has been unable to get enough votes in favor of the deal.

Under the new proposal, Information Resources shareholders still would receive $3.30 per share in cash from the new owners, but they also would get a new, tradable security that entitles holders up to 60 percent of any potential lawsuit proceeds up to $200 million, and 75 percent of proceeds above $200 million.

IRI sued Nielsen for $350 million in damages alleging Nielsen used anti-competitive practices against IRI.

On the move: Geoff Edwards, creative director on the Gatorade account at Element 79 Partners, has left the agency to take a post with TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles. Edwards, considered one of the stronger creatives in chief Dennis Ryan's stable, was the art director on the Michael Jordan "23 vs. 39" spot that ran during the Super Bowl.

C-K in CA is A-OK: Chicago's creative reputation hasn't been held up as model in recent years. In fact, it has been more than a decade since a Chicago agency--then McConnaughy Stein Schmidt Brown--was profiled in creative bible Communications Arts. Until now, that is. Kudos to Cramer-Krasselt for getting a nod in the most recent issue.